In The Name Of Justice
by rainy angellz
Summary: Chapter 5 up. Can four detectives save their Captain? Postep for 'The Good'. Slight BA,MC in future chapters.
1. The End of an Era

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Disclaimer: Yeah, I only wish I owned them. Just playing with them for a bit. 

Author's Notes: My first CI fic.. absolutely inspired by "The Good" and my outrage for Deakins leaving.

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"Bobby, I'm bored." Detective Alexandra Eames said leaning against her propped elbow. 

They sat at their respective desks glancing over various pieces of paperwork, none of which was particularly intriguing. It had been slow going in terms of cases since Captain James Deakins had left the Major Case Squad, bound for retirement. From the moment that Captain Deakins had told two of his finest detectives of his resignation, they were respectful of his decision to retire. However, it irked Bobby that Deakins didn't want to expose Frank Adair for the injustice that he had served upon a perfectly fine officer.

Similarly, Detectives Mike Logan and Detective Carolyn Barek sat at their respective desks toiling with endless paperwork. After Internal Affairs had cleared Logan in the Tarkman shooting, things began to settle back down, but with the resignation of their Captain, tensions began rising once again as to the reason for his resignation.

Nonetheless, Deakins had left without much fanfare, leaving many other officers at their desks doing paperwork, tossing a small ball around, getting coffee from the break room, or wandering One Police Plaza in search of action or entertainment.

Who would've thought that the Major Case Squad slowed down for anything? They slowed with the resignation of a fine officer who retired long before his time. In the intra-office memorandum that Deakins had sent out to all of the members in his squad, he had explained what led to him to tender his resignation in such a haste fashion.

_TO: Major Case Squad_

_FROM: Capt. James Deakins, MCS_

_RE: Resignation_

_As of 5PM, Friday, May 12, 2006 I will be retiring. _

_Many of you may ask why, and sometimes I still wonder the same question even as I write this letter informing you. I feel that I have served my city well, and the time has come for me to devote my time to my family. I've put in my twenty and I feel I've contributed a great deal. _

_I want to express my deep gratitude towards each and every one of you. Each officer in their own right has contributed a piece to the Major Case Squad that has made us one of the most elite units in the New York City Police Department. I appreciate all of your effort towards solving a case, and I've seen each and every one of you grow and learn new tactics and strategies that I know will be employed in the future in the interrogation room, or your Thanksgiving dinner with your in-laws. Thank you for all your hard work. _

_Sincerely, _

_James Deakins_

_

* * *

_

**Two Day Earlier **

As copies of the memo was being passed around, Captain James Deakins had sat in his office the entire time tying up any loose ends on old files and packing away pieces of his life that he had devoted years to. As he placed each momento on his desk into the cardboard box that would only be filed away later in his attic, he thought back on each piece and where he had received it. Each award, each commendation in its rightful frame and especially newspaper clippings that his wife had cut out for him of his squad in the media reminded him of the past several years that he spent as Captain of the Major Case Squad.

He smiled fondly at the article from the New York Herald which featured Bobby and Alex capturing Henry Talbot who had killed five women in the span of a week. He thought about each of his detectives that he had had the honor of working with.

Bobby. His right-brained detective who was a genius, but was very methodical and employed unusual interrogation techniques that usually got the perpetrator to confess. Deakins trusted Bobby's instinct and mind.

Alex. Lord knows how she put up with Bobby for the past five years, but throughout the last five years, she's grown as a person as well, becoming an even more skilled investigator and interrogator.

As partners, Bobby and Alex had leveled each other out. Bobby was a bit erratic at times, and Alex was more by the book, although she herself stretched the limits.

Mike. Going to bat for Logan was something that didn't need to be thought about. After slugging a councilman and getting sent off to Staten Island was enough punishment for such a skilled investigator.

Carolyn. Gentle, but quiet, she kept her partner in line, and often used her own manipulative interrogation techniques to extract confessions.

As young as their partnership was, Mike and Carolyn have grown a great deal in the past year that they've worked together. As partners do, they look out for each other. When Mike had shot Tarkman, Carolyn made sure that Mike didn't leave the scene and made sure that procedure was following.

As Deakins stared at the articles on his desk, and filed each one away, he remembered fondly his years, and although it was abruptly ending, he did not regret for one moment going to bat for Martinez or Logan.

After filing away the last momento into his plain cardboard box, he sat back in his chair and looked straight out into the squadroom. The intra-office memo that he had sent announcing his retirement was circulating the office, and caused many officers to get up and begin discussing it with others.

Deakins smiled and got up from his seat. He sighed as he picked up the box that sat full of his NYPD career. He took one more glance at his office, and then opened the door that led to the squadroom. His entire squad turned and looked towards him, many with eyes filled with appreciation, gratitude and respect. Many gave soft smiles with silent looks of good wishes for the future and others gave looks of deep sadness.

Deakins gave each officer a look in the eye implying appreciation and respect for their hard work, and a gentle smile to let each officer know that the Major Case Squad would be okay.

Without another word, Captain James Deakins walked off into the elevator bay, into the elevator and out of One Police Plaza.

* * *

**Present Day**

Captain Leonard Greenfield stepped off the elevator of the eleventh floor of One Police Plaza intent on finding his office without getting lost, and finding the squad that Captain James Deakins had left behind in one piece still.

Greenfield faced a set of double doors that were labeled Major Case Squad and as he glanced through the clear windows of the door, and saw a squadroom that looked a bit in disarray. Whether or not it was because of Deakins leaving and the squad slacking was a toss-up. Either way, Greenfield would not tolerate slackers.

He opened the doors to the Major Case Squad and stepped into the squadroom. He stood there, staring at each officer attempting to gauge their level of hard work and devotion at first glance. Deciding it was time to announce himself, he cleared his throat and stepped further into the squad room.

"Excuse me, can I have everyone's attention please?" Greenfield announced, causing everyone to turn in his direction. "I'm Captain Leonard Greenfield, your new captain."

Greenfield walked through the squad room while continuing to talk. He glanced at every officer who had stood as a sign of respect to him.

"I understand this is the Major Case Squad, and I realize that your previous captain allowed many of you to run with your own theories, methods and practices, but under my command there will be no sort of unorthodox methods." Greenfield said, glancing at Goren as he said it, "I also do not tolerate loose cannons" throwing a look in Logan's direction, "nor do I tolerate laziness, or inefficiency. We will be running this squad by the book."

Alex glanced at Bobby who looked visibly uncomfortable while listening to their new captain. Bobby in turn looked at the other officers trying to measure how everyone else was reacting to their new captain. Everyone looked visibly shocked and nervous of their new captain.

"I will be observing every single interrogation that occurs in those interrogation rooms, providing my input and criticism on your interrogation technique."

Mike shot Carolyn a look. Mike never took criticism well, and Carolyn didn't like that the new captain would literally be looking over their shoulders each time they interrogated a suspect.

"You will follow orders. Any infraction against an order I've issued will result in insubordination and the appropriate reprimand will be placed in your file."

Mike smirked at that thought. His folder would be full of reprimands that may send him back to Staten Island. "This guy has got to be kiddin' me," he thought.

Greenfield continued, "And if you want to know anything about me, my family, friends, associates, work history, don't ask. I will not share any aspect of my personal life with you."

Every officer in the Major Case Squad continued to listen to their new commanding officer, much to their dismay, the man showed no sign of emotion, social skill or personality.

"Does anyone have any questions?" Greenfield asked, seeing there were no questions and continued, "If not, then I will retire to my office. I will be assigning new cases to each of you within the next few hours."

Greenfield turned and headed into his office, leaving behind a squad full of officers with questions, comments and criticism of their new commanding officer.

Carolyn and Mike had walked over to Alex and Bobby after the captain had disappeared into his office.

"Ohhhhhhhh boy, are we in for a treat or what?" Alex said, "I think we're going to be in tons of trouble with this guy."

"Looks like it," Mike said, "I wonder if he's read my file.."

"Mike, everyone's read your file." Carolyn said, "He seems too rigid for my taste. I'd watch out if I were you Bobby, 'unorthodox methods' seems like something he'd bust you for even with your high solve rate."

"Yeah." Bobby said pondering what he was going to do.

"And I'll be the one on the end of the 'loose cannon' speech. Just dandy." Mike said sarcastically as he shook his head.

Bobby, still thinking stared off into space. Meanwhile, Carolyn, Mike and Alex were still talking, and several minutes later they realized that Bobby wasn't listening.

"Earth to Bobby." Alex said whispering into his ear.

"Hm?" Bobby responded, glancing up at the three officers looking at him.

"What are you thinking about man?" Mike asked, "I know that thinking look of yours."

"It's very ironic how…quickly the Captain had left," Bobby said referring to Deakins, "I know he gave his two weeks notice, I feel like he gave up so easily. He let Frank Adair win, when last year we helped put him away. It just doesn't add up."

"Wait, why does the name Frank Adair sound so familiar?" Carolyn asked.

"He was ex-brass. Caught him last year for murder and sent him up to Sing Sing." Alex said, "Apparently, he's holding a grudge against the Captain for sending him up there."

"He was able to get a friend's sister-in-law to phony up an email that got Officer Martinez on the task force. It was seen as a favor for covering up Logan's ass for the Tarkman shooting." Bobby said.

"We were able to prove that the email was a fake since our server went down a few weeks ago. Bobby compared an email the captain had sent him with the email that the IAB had, and found differences that made it a fake." Alex completed.

"Why didn't the Captain try to clear his name and keep his job?" Carolyn asked, "You would think that someone who helped put Adair away would want to seek justice for himself."

Bobby and Alex looked at each other and then at Mike and Carolyn and shrugged their shoulders.

"What do you say we find out? I'd rather try to get our Captain back than deal with this guy." Mike said, looking into the captain's office through the clear windows. Greenfield was already on the phone after already setting up his desk to be just the way he wanted it.

"I don't think I'm going to like this guy." Mike said, looking at his three other colleagues.

"Let's do it. That is, if we can fly under this guy's radar." Alex says, indicating Greenfield.

The four turned in towards each other in a small huddle and plotted against their new captain.

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TBC... ? 

Review and let me know what you think. :)  
Also, for future fics, I'm looking for a beta, so if you could help out, I'd love you:)


	2. Over Our Shoulders

Before leaving the office that day, Bobby glanced at the other officers in the squad. Many officers had looks of wear on their faces. Bobby wasn't surprised though. The Captain had read each file of each officer under his command and brought each individual officer in for questioning of his own. The Captain's office was practically a revolving door of officers. Many entered the office without a thought, and left wishing they never went in.

Everyone agreed. Something had to be done.

**

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**

**Earlier that day **

Bobby walked into the Captain's office realizing for the first time that the office lacked its familiar décor and feel. The office reeked of impersonality, and although professional, lacked any sign of a life outside the police department.

"Detective Goren, please have a seat," Captain Greenfield said, indicating the seat across from him.

"I'd much rather stand, thank you."

"Have it your way," Greenfield said reaching for a file on his desk, "Now, I have some questions about you, Detective."

Bobby looked at his Captain wondering what the man could possibly ask him.

"Yes sir?"

"I've heard quite a lot about you, and your file doesn't seem to do you justice," Greenfield began, "You and Detectives Eames have been working together for five years, is that correct?"

"Yes sir."

"I hear that you're a bit unorthodox for many of your previous partners."

"Yes, that sounds about right. Detectives Eames has stuck by me longer than anyone else." Bobby said, "Is there a problem with our partnership?"

"No." Greenfield said moving onto his next topic, "Now, you seem like an extremely intelligent and skilled investigator who knows how to exact confessions and put together pieces of a puzzle."

Bobby didn't know what Greenfield was getting at so he just nodded and allowed the older man to continue.

"What I don't understand, Detective, is how you do it."

Bobby looked at the older man in confusion and thought carefully of his next words, "I pick at the suspect's mind."

"Is that all you do? You don't convince the suspect that he's guilty?" Greenfield asked, folding his arms together in front of him.

It then occurred to Bobby what Greenfield was getting at.

"If you're implying that I manipulate suspects into believing they committed the crime in order to raise my own solve rate, then the answer is no. And I resent the implication, sir." Bobby said respectfully although offended by the insinuation.

"I see." Greenfield said, "Well thank you for your time Detective."

Bobby turned to leave and he could feel the cold eyes of his Captain boring into the back of his head as if he was trying to decipher Bobby's body language.

"Oh and Detective?" Greenfield said, calling out to Bobby.

Bobby turned around, "Yes sir?"

"Please send your partner into my office. Thank you."

Bobby gave him a slight nod and walked back over to the set of desks that he and Alex occupied. Alex looked up at him when he returned.

Seeing Bobby's facial expression as he sat down, Alex figured it hadn't gone well.

"That bad huh?" Alex asked.

"Not terrible, just… offensive." Bobby said, "And he wants to see you next."

Alex glanced over to the Captain's office, and saw that he was glancing at her and indicated that she should go to his office.

"Why does it feel like I'm being summoned to the principal's office? I feel like I'm in junior high again and I just kicked a boy who hit on me." Alex asked sarcastically, glancing at Bobby who only offered a soft smile in support.

"Good luck, "Bobby said as Alex got up out of her chair and walked into the Captain's office, gently closing the door behind her.

* * *

**Present **

That night, Carolyn, Mike, Bobby and Alex gathered at the bar that many of officers of the squad frequented. It seemed like drinks tonight was an absolute necessity. Mike and Bobby carried two trays of beers towards Carolyn and Alex who were situated in the back booth of the bar. Setting down the trays, Bobby and Mike sat down next to their respective partners and distributed a beer to each person.

"This beer doesn't even deserve a toast." Mike said, "Unless it's for surviving this new guy."

"Then to surviving Captain Greenfield." Alex said sarcastically, "Cheers."

They clinked their glasses together and each took a sip of their respective beers.

"Why do I get a feeling that he's going to be everywhere we are?" Carolyn asked.

At that very moment, a tall man with salt and peppered hair and a scowl look walked into the bar.

"Looks like you spoke too soon Caro. We've got incoming," Mike said, gesturing towards the Captain who had just walked into the bar.

The Captain walked to the bar and sat down on a barstool and signaled to the bartender. He ordered a drink and sat rather stoic in his seat. He took a sip of his drink and spat it out.

"Barkeep! What is this?" Greenfield screamed, "This is swill."

The Captain's yelling had prompted Carolyn, Alex, Mike and Bobby to lean into aisle to get a better view of their Captain.

"Man, I'd hate to be on the receiving end of his yelling." Carolyn said.

"All in good time, Car." Mike said.

The Captain returned his drink to the bar and ordered a Corona. Corona's were always a safe bet. The Captain took a sip of the Corona and glanced around the bar. As he turned in the direction of the detectives, they quickly retreated into the sanctuary of their booth.

Carolyn sighed as she drank another sip of her beer. "Oh dear."

"Good evening detectives."

The four detectives glanced up and unbeknownst to the them, their Captain had walked to their booth. He glanced at the four detectives looking each of them in the eye.

"Good evening sir," Alex said politely, "Would you like to join us?"

Deep down inside, all four detectives prayed that their Captain wouldn't be joining them for drinks. Dealing with him on his first day had been enough work for one day.

"No thank you, Detective. I really must get going. As we all have…**early** mornings tomorrow. Good night detectives." Greenfield said, pushing the implication that the detectives should get going as well.

The four detectives stared at their Captain's backside as he exited the bar, and then turned to stare at each other.

"That was just creepy." Carolyn said, "If he shows up at Starbucks at the same time I do in the morning, I'm going to flip out."

"He's certainly being thorough in terms of his detectives," Mike said.

"He's practically invading our entire lives," Bobby began, "He called me into his office today to discuss how I get suspects to confess, and insinuated that I used manipulative tactics to pin crimes on completely innocent people."

"He put us all through the wringer today," Alex said looking down at her beer solemnly.

Seeing that Alex was clearly upset about the Captain, Bobby picked up on it immediately.

"You never did tell me what he said to you." Bobby said, "He said something to piss you off, didn't he?"

Alex sighed and looked at Bobby, "Yeah he did."

Carolyn and Mike hung in suspense as Alex thought about her next words.

"He asked me…how I had gotten to become a detective and how I ended up in Major Case. He wondered if my father had anything to do with it, and he questioned whether or not I merited Major Case material." Alex said agitated at the story.

Bobby put his arm around Alex and pulled her closer to him. She eased into his embrace, closed her eyes and sighed. She welcomed his affection and turned to give him a soft smile. "I'll be okay."

"He is the biggest asshole I've ever met in my entire life," Mike said, "And I've met a lot."

"I give him credit for being direct, but he's definitely not someone I aspire to work with." Carolyn said.

"Well, we should get cracking," Bobby said, "Before we all end up transferring."

They paid their tab and walked out of the bar; Bobby still holding Alex close to him. The night was still young as the foursome piled into the SUV and began driving.

* * *

"So what's the plan?" Mike asked, "We just show up uninvited?"

"For now." Bobby said as Alex drove.

Alex drove uptown on Second Avenue towards the Queens-Midtown tunnel and entered the tunnel. Speeding through the tunnel, through the toll and onto the Long Island Expressway was all in order to reach their first destination.

Their first stop was a quaint house embedded deep within Queens. The four got out of the SUV and walked towards the front door. Seeing the lights were still on, Bobby gently knocked on the door. It was answered by a young girl with curly brown hair. She immediately recognized the four detectives.

"Mommy!" She called, "It's Daddy's detectives!"

Angie Deakins came into the main hallway and greeted the detectives.

"What a surprise. What brings you four to this part of the city?" She asked.

"Well we're actually here to see Capt—uh, Mr. Deakins." Mike said, "Is he home?"

Angie let out a small chuckle. "He himself is having a hard time with not being a Captain anymore." Glancing up the stairs, she indicated that he was upstairs. "Please detectives, come on in. I'll fetch him."

The detectives walked into the house and into the living room, making themselves comfortable on the sofas that surrounded a coffee table that occupied the room. Several minutes later, the four detectives were greeted with a rather comfortably dressed James Deakins in jeans and a plaid button-down shirt. When he entered the room, the four detectives began to get up.

"Don't bother getting up, I'm no longer your commanding officer," Deakins said, "I'm not even with the department anymore."

They sat back down and Deakins took a seat opposite his former detectives. "Well?"

All of the detectives eyes pointed to Bobby nodded as he began. "Well si-"

"First of all, you no longer work for me, call me Jimmy." Deakins said.

Bobby who looked a bit uncomfortable began again, "Okay, Jimmy. Well the fact of the matter is that we, the squad, need you back."

Jimmy looked each of the four detectives, "New guy giving you that much trouble already? I heard today was his first day." He said with a chuckle.

"Not only that, you resigned without clearing your name. You will go down in department history as having giving favors in order to cover for your detectives," Alex said in a convincing tone, "We can't let that happen to you."

"You can't?"

"No," Mike said, "We can't let you do that. You don't deserve it. You didn't do anything wrong, yet you're willing to let the ones who did get away with it. Where would our conscience be if we let that happen? Aren't we supposed to fight and defend against those who harm others?"

"You're not just our Captain, you're our friend." Carolyn said, "I don't know how many times you defended each of us and backed our theories against Carver, the DA.."

He turned and looked each detective in the eye. It was important to each of them that he fight for his job. He slowly nodded.

"Okay."

"Okay?" Mike said, "You'll withdraw your resignation and fight?"

"Yeah."

Alex looked at Bobby, "Just like that?"

"Just like that. The four of you are right," Jimmy said, "I gave up way too easily. Let's get to the bottom of this. I miss the job. Don't get me wrong, being home everyday is nice. Getting up late everyday is nice. But God, what I'd do to be back."

Alex and Carolyn smiled at one another and then turned to their partners with smiles of success.

"But first," Jimmy said, "tell me about this new Captain."

The four detectives groaned at the thought and Deakins just chuckled, "Okay, you don't have to tell me about him. I'm sure he's an upstanding fella."

"You have no idea, Cap." Mike said.

"So what's the plan?" Deakins asked.

* * *

TBC?

Feedback LOVED. :) I'm thinkin' Deakins' love is in order. :) It'll get tense, crazy and twisted, I promise. :)


	3. Followed By Danger

Disclaimer in Part 1.

A/N: HUGE thanks to InfinityStar for beta'ing this for me. :) You rock!

* * *

Two men sat in a black sedan, staring intently into the house. The four detectives and their Captain looked like they were shooting the breeze, but the two men knew different.

Their boss had told them that the four detectives would try something like this, and they were told that it would not to be tolerated.

"You think the brunette's cute?" one said to the other.

"Nah, man, the blonde is cuter."

"The blonde's got that hulk of a man to protect her. Good luck scorin' on that."

He snickered to his partner and continued looking in. "You really think the hulk's protecting the blonde?"

"Of course. You see the way they laugh with each other? That's a sign of love. He's gonna do everythin' he can to protect her."

"Hell, the old guy definitely seems to be the 'father' of the group. I bet you he's gonna protect them all."

"Well, we'll just have to see, won't we?"

They continued staring into the Deakins home. Each person looked focused on the topic at hand. There was the occasional laugh, smile and touch from one person to the other.

"Those five are awfully close."

* * *

Inside the Deakins home, the five set to work on a plan to expose Frank Adair's crime from the inside. Angie brought the five of them cups of coffee and as she walked out of the living room had to smile at the scene. She'd noticed that since her husband had decided to leave the police department that he hadn't been the same. Watching the group, she knew she had her husband back.

"I think the key to opening this can of worms is Sharon," Alex said, "She knows what she did. She would've cracked if we'd pushed a little harder. The guilt must be eating her up inside."

"Sharon is definitely key," Bobby began. "But it has to go further than her. There's a reason why she wouldn't talk to us."

"It's got to be pressure from someplace else that's making her scared," Mike said, "Maybe this thing is bigger than Frank Adair."

"Let me tell you one thing about Frank Adair. He's still got a lot of friends in high places," Deakins said. "I visited him at Sing Sing just before I handed in my resignation. He said his true friends are upset with me for putting him in there. There are definitely people who would do anything for Frank Adair. And that's what makes me afraid to pursue fighting the corruption. It may be dangerous, and I'm not willing to put the four of you in danger for me."

"Danger's part of the job," Mike said. "And I'm willing to do whatever it takes. Cap, I never said anything when you decided to leave, but I feel partially responsible for it. I want to make this right."

Deakins nodded. "Logan, you are not responsible for any of this. Frank Adair did this to me. Whether or not the Tarkman shooting opened the doors for Frank Adair is another story. Sooner or later, he would've found a way to get at me and the department. Don't blame yourself."

"Frank Adair's one son of a bitch," Carolyn said spitefully. "We need to get him."

Bobby stood up from his seat and began walking around the room, thinking. "Well, we'll need to find out everything Sharon knows. We'll also need to talk to Denny Moran."

"We should stay away from Captain Barton for now," Deakins said. "I want to keep this low profile until we can put the bigger picture together. From here on out, it's gonna be hairy. Are you four absolutely sure that you want to do this?"

"If it gets Captain Greenfield out of **our** hair, I'm fine with whatever we do," Carolyn said, drawing a look from Deakins. "He just really creeps me out."

Bobby continued pacing around the room, quietly strategizing a plan. "We should look into Captain Greenfield as well."

Alex looked at Bobby with a confused glance. "You think Greenfield could be in on this?"

"It doesn't hurt to look," Bobby said. "I've been watching him. He's lacking in personality and social skills, and that makes me question how he made captain, particularly in an elite squad like Major Case."

Deakins laughed. "I would've said the same thing about you when I first met you, Goren. I must say, you've certainly grown a lot in the last several years."

"Th-thank you sir," Bobby said. "In any case, he doesn't seem like someone who would've been promoted on merit."

"We'll have to pull his file without him knowing," Mike said. "Anyone got any favors left to use?"

"I've still got a buddy at the FBI who might be able to help us out," Carolyn said. "I'll be able to get more information than the Department has. I'll give him a call tomorrow."

"Okay, so tomorrow Mike and Carolyn will go ask Sharon about the e-mail. Try to crack her. She seemed she was on the edge when we last talked to her," Alex began. "And Bobby and I will take a crack at Denny Moran."

"This has to be discrete, so let's not try to ruffle too many feathers right now," Deakins said. "I'll go to the brass to withdraw my resignation as soon we put the pieces of the puzzle together."

The four detectives nodded at their Captain. They now had a game plan to oust Greenfield and bring back Deakins.

"You four better get going," Deakins said getting up from his seat. "It's getting late, and you have early mornings ahead of you."

"It sounds so much better coming from you, sir," Carolyn said with a smile.

Deakins led his four detectives to the front door and looked at each one of them as they left. He had never before felt the loyalty that he felt from his four detectives. He gave them reassuring smiles.

"Good night, detectives," Deakins said. "And thanks. For everything."

* * *

Alex drove the SUV and merged into traffic on the Long Island Expressway and headed towards Brooklyn to drop Bobby and Carolyn off at their respective homes, she noticed a car that seemed to have been behind her in the rearview mirror. Uncomfortable at the thought of being tailed, she changed lanes. The car behind her also changed lanes.

"What's wrong, Alex?" Bobby asked from the passenger seat.

"I can't shake the feeling that someone's following us," Alex said. "I think that car behind us is following us."

The car became silent as Alex changed lanes several more times, each time resulting in the car behind them changing lanes to mirror their actions.

"Get off at the next exit," Bobby said. "Let's see how far this guy wants to go to follow us."

Alex sped the car up to seventy-five miles per hour and quickly reached the next exit: Maurice Avenue. She approached the stoplight and sped through it just as it turned red, hoping that the car behind them would stop for the red light. No such luck. The car sped right through the red light, narrowly missing traffic in the intersection.

"Shit, this guy does not give up," Alex said, quickly merging onto the highway once again. "Where to now?"

"Man, this chick drives fast," one man said to the other as they followed the dark SUV on and off the highway. "Seventy-five miles on the LIE is no easy feat."

"How long we gon' follow em, man?" the younger of the two said. "They catchin' on that we followin' em."

"Okay, okay, we'll pull back. They're just going home anyway," he said. "We'll find em again in the morning."

Alex continued driving while Bobby studied the car that was following them.

"It's a black sedan, domestic. Either Ford or Chevy. No plates displayed in the front," Bobby said. "It's either unmarked, or an out-of-state vehicle. Can you two get a good look at the guys in the car?"

Carolyn and Mike turned to look at the car following them.

"It's too dark," Carolyn said. "All I can make out is that they're two men."

Mike and Carolyn turned to face the front of the car again.

"This seems like it'll be harder than we thought," Mike said.

"You think Adair's behind this?" Carolyn asked.

"Right now, anything's possible," Bobby said.

They continued driving on the Long Island Expressway and eventually exited onto the Brooklyn-Queens Expressway.

"We're going to run out of highway sooner or later. The BQE eventually hits the Verrazano," Alex said. "If they keep following us, we'll end up back in Queens when we hit the Belt."

Bobby turned to look again and saw that the car that had been following them slowed down.

"They're slowing down," Bobby said. "Giving up?"

"That seemed too easy," Carolyn said.

The car slowed and eventually dropped from sight.

"I don't think it's a good idea to be staying alone tonight, guys," Alex began. "If those guys are following us, they probably know where we live, where our relatives live, and most likely where we work."

"What do you suggest?" Mike asked.

"We stay together, and start investigating first thing in the morning," Alex said. "We can stay at my place. I've got a pull out sofa."

Mike looked at Carolyn.

"Don't even think about it, Mike," Carolyn said and then turned towards Alex. "Alex, that sounds like a good idea."

Bobby nodded accordingly and prompted Alex to head towards her apartment in Manhattan. As they entered Manhattan, they made sure that no one else was following them. Alex put the car in park in her parking space and turned off the engine.

"I think we're okay," Mike said. "Alex, I sure hope you've got some extra large clothes."

"You can borrow one of my t-shirts," Bobby said.

Mike and Carolyn looked at one another to make sure they both had heard him correctly.

"Excuse me, what?" Mike asked in disbelief.

"You can borrow one of my shirts," Bobby said, repeating himself.

"I heard you, dude. And how long has this been going on?" Mike asked, indicating Alex and Bobby's presumed relationship.

"What?" a confused Bobby asked.

Alex smiled to herself and then laughed out loud. "Oh my goodness, Bobby they think we're sleeping together."

Alex got out of the car and chuckled to herself. Bobby looked at Mike and Carolyn.

"Is that really what you thought?"

"Well, you do have clothes here, don't you?" Mike asked.

"Yes, they're for nights when I don't make it back to Brooklyn or when we're working late on a case," Bobby said. "Don't tell me you don't have clothes at Carolyn's."

Carolyn shook her head. "I'd never give him space in my apartment. He'd just move in."

"I resent that," Mike said. "Why _don't_ I have clothes at your apartment?"

They walked into Alex's building and into the elevator. The elevator ascended quietly and quickly reached its destination. Alex walked out of the elevator first and headed her apartment door. She took her key out, unlocked the door and walked in.

Alex lived in a modest one-bedroom apartment on the fifteenth floor of her building in Battery Park. Her apartment was modestly decorated with furniture from Ikea and various little decorations from Chinatown. Mike and Carolyn sat down on the couch while Bobby and Alex went to fetch clothes for the two of them.

Alex opened the top drawer and pulled out a pair of women's shorts and a tank top that Carolyn could wear. Bobby went through the bottom drawer and fished out an extra large NYPD shirt that he had stashed there.

"Is it so strange that I keep some clothes here?" Bobby asked curiously.

"I don't think so," Alex said. "But did you see their reaction? It was absolutely priceless!"

Bobby laughed. "It really was."

"How ridiculous a thought would it be? You and I!" Alex said.

Bobby chuckled, but looked at Alex curiously. "Why would it be ridiculous?"

Alex looked up at Bobby who had stepped closer to her. She took a deep breath. "We're partners, Bobby. We're friends. Best friends."

A tense moment of silence passed between the two. Although there was no physical contact, she could feel the heat from his body enveloping her.

"Bobby…" Alex began.

"Come on, Alex, why would it be so ridiculous?" Bobby whispered softly in her ear.

His soft voice made her entire body shiver and tense up. She put her arms around herself to calm her nerves and just stared Bobby in the eye. Several seconds of silence passed between the two until they heard a voice from the living room.

"You guys done in there? Carolyn and I are getting tired out here!" Mike hollered, "I'm sure you found the clothes by now!"

Alex cleared her throat and took a step away from Bobby. "We better get back out there." She gathered the two sets of clothes for Mike and Carolyn and walked back out to the living room, leaving Bobby standing alone in her bedroom.

* * *

TBC. 

A/N: I'm really curious how that last Bobby/Alex scene went. What did you think of it? I've never written any fluff or intense moments like that, so I'd like to know. :)


	4. Running Late

Disclaimer in Part I.

* * *

The next morning came quickly and the four detectives made detours to each of their homes to gather clothing for subsequent days. 

"I sure hope you got more space at your place," Mike said. "If this thing goes on for awhile, you'll be doing our laundry."

Alex laughed. "I don't think so, Mike."

On the way down to One Police Plaza, Alex drove carefully, checking the rearview mirror every so often to make sure no one was following them. They made a quick stop at Starbucks and ordered four coffees to go along with the long day they had ahead of them. They'd be balancing cases on top of investigating Frank Adair and his associates.

The night had gone rather smoothly with the four detectives piled into Alex's apartment. Carolyn and Alex had slept in Alex's bed while Bobby and Mike took the sofa bed. Bobby hadn't again raised the question of himself and his partner in the presence of Carolyn and Mike, and Alex was thankful they were there. Who knows what would've happened had they not been.

Arriving at One Police Plaza, the detectives entered the elevator and hit '11' on the elevator panel. The moment the elevator hit the eleventh floor and its doors opened, Captain Greenfield stood there staring at them. They just stared back. Captain Greenfield was the first to speak.

"Do you realize what time it is?" he barked.

Mike looked at his watch. "It's 8:03."

"Work starts promptly at 8AM. Not a minute after. Or in your case, **three** minutes after," Captain Greenfield said. "Get to work. Your cases are on your desk. I expect progress reports at noon and again at the end of the day, which will officially end at 5PM. If you choose to stay later to pursue your cases, it looks good for merit, but you will not be paid overtime."

Greenfield walked away leaving the detectives standing astonished in the elevator bay.

"Did that really just happen?" Carolyn asked.

"Apparently," Alex said. "We were late."

"Well, let's do what the man says for now," Bobby said. "Let's get to work."

At noon on the dot, every detective began piling into the Captain's office to give their progress reports. Bobby and Alex, who had spent the morning working a jewelry heist, waited amongst the long line of detectives.

"And this is efficient?" Alex said sarcastically.

"He likes to be on top of things," Bobby said. "I don't blame him for that. I blame him for being an asshole."

Alex laughed. "You said it partner."

"Better not look too happy, he might not think you're doing your job."

When they got to the front of the line, Bobby and Alex presented their case to the Captain.

"You call that progress? I want you to finish this case by the end of tomorrow. I'm surprised at the two of you," Greenfield said. "You came highly recommended with the highest solve rate in the squad. I expect more from you two."

Bobby and Alex came out of his office looking as annoyed as ever. They sat at their desks to look at evidence. Neither looked up until Carolyn and Mike came over from their desks to join them.

"Get chewed out, too, huh?" Mike asked.

"Like my dog ate my homework," Alex said.

"Us too," Carolyn said. "I don't know when we're going to find time to put together Deakins' defense. I already put the call into my friend at the FBI. He should be faxing the information to my apartment. I had to tell him to send it there in case Greenfield's checking all incoming faxes or messages."

"Good idea," Bobby said. "We're going to go talk to Sharon on our lunch break. That is, if we even **get** a lunch break."

"It's illegal if we don't. Greenfield knows that," Alex said.

"The four of us shouldn't stick together. Greenfield will get suspicious," Bobby said.

"You're right. You guys take your lunch break now, we'll take ours in an hour," Alex said. "And don't complain that you're hungry, Bobby."

"You've got no complaints outta me," Bobby said.

Carolyn nodded to Mike. "Let's get going."

* * *

Mike and Carolyn took the elevator down to the parking garage and got into the SUV. They headed for the Office of the Patrol Borough Commander in Brooklyn. When they arrived, they were found a very different woman sitting at the desk they had previous seen Sharon occupy.

"Excuse me, is Sharon Winkler in today?" Mike asked.

The young woman at the desk looked up at Mike. "No, she no longer works here."

"And when was she let go?" Carolyn asked.

"Yesterday," the woman said.

"And her reason for leaving?" Mike asked.

"I'm just the temp until they can find someone else," the woman said. "I'm sorry, who are you?"

"We were just looking for Sharon," Mike said using his charming smile on the young woman. "Thank you very much for your time."

Carolyn and Mike left the office and the moment they got into the car, they let their thoughts loose.

"She no longer works there?" Carolyn said. "That's so strange."

"If someone caught on that we even put the slightest pressure on Sharon, they'd consider relocating her," Mike said. "Let's say that someone saw us talk to Sharon. Or even heard what we said. It would encourage someone to relocate Sharon Winkler."

"The better question is who," Carolyn said, starting the car. "Call Bobby. Tell him to get Sharon's home address off the computer. We'll pay her a visit at home."

* * *

Bobby and Alex approached Denny Moran's house in Brooklyn. Alex knocked on the door and they waited patiently until they were greeted by a middle aged woman.

"Good afternoon ma'am. Does Denny Moran live here?" Alex asked.

"Yes, he does," she said. "He's upstairs. May I ask who you are?"

"We're actually looking for a driver, and we were recommended to Mr. Moran," Bobby said, quickly stepping into an undercover role in order to defuse suspicion.

"Oh, Denny would be so happy to hear that. Let me go fetch him," the woman said, going up the stairs calling her husband's name. Denny Moran quickly appeared, practically lunging down the stairs.

"Good afternoon, I'm Denny Moran."

"Mr. Moran, could we please speak in private?" Bobby asked, indicating that they wanted to talk outside.

"Of course," Denny said.

They stepped outside, and now Bobby and Alex were playing this one by ear.

"Mr. Moran, we were referred to you by your old client, Frank Adair," Alex said.

"Ah, Frank. How is the man?" Denny said.

"He's doing just fine in Ossining," Bobby said.

"Well, anyway, we were looking for a driver for us, and we were just wondering what kind of qualifications you had," Alex asked.

"Well, I drove Frank Adair for six years exclusively while he was Chief of Detectives," Denny said. "And prior to that, I drove clients to and from JFK and LaGuardia."

"You sound very qualified, Mr. Moran," Alex said. "Do you have any prior convictions on record?"

Bobby laughed, "Honey, that question came out so rude."

"Oh, I'm sorry, I just get paranoid sometimes with people that we might hire. I like to be careful," Alex said.

"No, no. It's fine," Denny said. "No, I've never been convicted of a crime. And even if I did, I'm sure Frank could've gotten me off."

Bobby and Alex looked at each other suspiciously.

"That was a joke," Denny said. "Sorry."

"That's quite alright," Bobby said with a small chuckle. "We also found out that you know a Captain Deakins in the NYPD. He's also a friend of ours, and he mentioned your name once or twice."

"Oh yes, Captain Deakins," Denny said. "He's a fine officer."

"Yes he is," Bobby said. "He resigned, and he still hasn't told anyone why."

Denny froze. "Oh yes. I-I-I heard he resigned."

"Is something wrong Denny?" Alex asked, seeing Denny's discomfort.

"N-no," Denny said.

"You don't happen to know anything about it, would you?" Bobby asked, bending slightly to meet Denny's eyes.

Denny chuckled uncomfortably, "No, why would I?"

"Y-you got uncomfortable at the mention of Captain Deakins," Bobby said. "And you won't look me in the eye."

"Sir, nothing against you, but your size is intimidating," Denny said.

"Then why don't I ask you the same question," Alex said. "Do you know why Captain Deakins resigned?"

Denny grew silent. "You're not really looking to hire me, are you?"

Bobby and Alex looked at one another. Bobby spoke first. "No, sir. We're not."

Denny nodded. "I'm sorry I couldn't help you."

"But you can, Mr. Moran," Alex said. "You can tell us what you know about Captain Deakins."

Denny still hesitated.

"Frank Adair asked you to do him a favor. He reached out to you from prison. You got your sister-in-law to doctor up a fake e-mail supposedly sent by Captain Deakins bumping Officer Martinez up to the Street Drug Task Force," Bobby said, getting into Denny's face.

"You marred the career of a decorated officer," Alex said. "No one deserves that. Not even Frank Adair. He went to prison for what he did. He got what he deserved."

Denny crumbled. "Yes, I helped Frank from prison to get that e-mail sent by Sharon."

"Who was behind this entire plan?" Alex asked.

"I can't tell you that," Denny said. "All I know is that Frank called in some favors to get Captain Deakins removed. As for who he called, I don't know. And Frank Adair was a good man. A **good** officer."

Alex glanced at Bobby who seemed satisfied that Moran was telling the truth.

"Mr. Moran, I realize that it's a compromising position to be in. We believe that there's a lot of pressure and the possibility of you being in danger is prevalent," Bobby said, handing him his card. "You can call me at anytime if you feel that you're in danger. And I must stress that you cannot tell anyone we were here today."

Denny nodded, taking the card. Silently, he put it in his pocket and went back into his house without another word.

"Looks like it's much deeper than we thought," Alex said as she and Bobby got back into the car and headed back towards their squad.

* * *

Carolyn and Mike stood in front of a two-story family home in Queens. Its quaint exterior looked as if it had just been repainted and the shutters replaced.

"Wonder how she paid to get this work done," Carolyn said.

"Why don't we go ask her?" Mike said, walking towards up the steps with Carolyn in tow.

They knocked on the door and were greeted by Sharon Winkler herself.

"Sharon Winkler?" Mike asked.

"Yes?" Sharon asked.

"Did you talk to Detective Goren and Detective Eames several weeks ago?" Carolyn asked.

"You might remember that they inquired about Captain Deakins," Mike added.

Sharon looked uncomfortable. "Y-yes, I remember them."

"Well, as you probably know, he resigned two weeks ago," Mike said. "And I think you know why."

"Look, I told the other detectives I don't know anything," Sharon said. "I'm sorry."

"Lady, you know something more than nothin'," Mike said. "Tell us what you know. We can offer you protection from whoever it is you're afraid of."

Sharon looked at the two detectives with fear in her eyes. "I don't know who they are. I just know that they're powerful people."

"Names? Addresses? Anything?" Mike asked urgently.

"Just names," Sharon said. "Brutus, Willie Stark, Jack Burden. A few vague ones I don't quite remember."

Mike and Carolyn nodded.

"You're doing the right thing, Sharon," Carolyn said, handing Sharon her card. "If you need anything, please call us."

Mike and Carolyn left Sharon Winkler's house and drove back towards Manhattan.

"Brutus, Willie Stark, Jack Burden." Carolyn said to herself.

"Sounds like characters out of books," Mike said. "Brutus was from Caesar, right?"

"Yeah," Carolyn said. "Jack Burden and Willie Stark are from All The King's Men."

"What kind of code names are these?" Mike said. "They sound ultra-corny."

"I don't know. Let's get back and compare notes with Bobby and Alex."

"Do we get to eat yet?" Mike said.

Carolyn laughed as they pulled into a McDonalds drive-thru. "You can have a happy meal."

* * *

TBC. 


	5. Followed No More

Disclaimers in Part I.

* * *

By the time they had arrived back to One Police Plaza, Bobby and Alex were in the Captain's office.

"I wonder what happened to the two of them," Carolyn said, pointing to the Captain's office. "I hope they're okay."

Mike and Carolyn sat down at their desks and put the paperwork of their latest case to bed. By the time Alex and Bobby had come out of the Captain's office, Alex went straight to the women's room, and Bobby had an angered look on his normally gentle face as he sat down at his desk.

Carolyn hesitated before getting up and approaching Bobby. "Bobby, what's wrong? What happened?"

"Captain asked us where we were last night," Bobby began. "Apparently, he called my apartment and I wasn't there. He asked where we had been, implying that we were romantically involved. He wanted to know the truth. Not to mention the fact that we got back from lunch ten minutes late because we got stuck in traffic in Brooklyn."

"What did you tell him?" Mike asked, approaching Carolyn from behind.

"Told him the truth," Bobby said. "Told him we weren't together, and that we were partners. He didn't quite believe us. What did you guys find out about Sharon Winkler?"

"She gave us names, but they weren't real names. They were characters from Julius Caesar and All the Kings Men," Mike said. "How's Alex?"

"She was really upset," Bobby said. "Obviously this guy's really taken a bite out of her credibility."

"Yeah," Carolyn said. "He's just being a prick."

Alex came back into the squadroom and sat down at her desk. She sighed and looked up at her three colleagues.

"God, I want to nail this son of a bitch and get our Captain back," Alex said. "I'm so sick of him."

Glancing quickly over to the Captain's office, Bobby saw Greenfield stare in their direction.

"I think we better get back to work," Bobby said. "Greenfield is giving us the staredown. Let's meet at Mulligans down the block for drinks and we'll talk more about what we found out after work. Remember, we end work promptly at five."

"Sounds like a good idea," Alex said. "It won't go by fast enough though."

* * *

That night at Mulligan's, Bobby and Alex arrived first and found an empty booth in the back of the bar where no one would be able to see them. Bobby and Alex sat next to one another while waiting for Mike and Carolyn who had to give their progress report to the Captain before leaving for the day.

"Hey, you okay?" Bobby asked, giving her a supportive pat on her hand which rested on the table.

Alex looked at Bobby wistfully. "Yeah, I think I'll be alright. I just want to get our Captain back, and boot this one to the curb."

Bobby laughed. "Yeah, he's definitely taking his toll on the entire squad."

Bobby and Alex sat in an awkward silence for a few moments.

"Listen, Bobby," Alex began. "I don't want things to be awkward with us. Greenfield's stressing us all out, and I don't want to jeopardize our partnership and our friendship. It means too much to me."

"Your friendship and your partnership are both important to me. I won't ever jeopardize that," Bobby said.

"You know," Alex said. "I can't stop thinking about last night in my bedroom."

"W-what about it?" Bobby asked.

"You wanted to know why," Alex said, lowering her voice to a gentle whisper. "It's actually not ridiculous."

Bobby looked at her, surprised. "What do you mean?"

"I said, it's not ridiculous."

"Hey guys," Mike said, as he slipped into the booth with his partner. "You guys order yet?"

"No, we didn't," Bobby said. "Let's order and then talk."

They ordered and then Carolyn took out a stack of papers.

"We made a quick detour to my place to pick up the fax my friend sent me," Carolyn said. "It's quite an interesting batch of information."

"Turns out, Captain Greenfield's only been with the department for ten years," Mike said. "It's pretty quick to make Captain."

"Corruption?" Alex asked.

"Seems like it," Bobby said. "The Tammany political machine promoted people in civil service to gain political prominence. They used the spoils system to gain popularity and gain the trust of the people. That way when people asked questions, many just turned away."

"That would be a plausible reason why Greenfield got promoted so quickly," Alex said.

"Now the question is: how high does this go?" Mike said.

"Well, Sharon Winkler gave us code names: Brutus, Willie Stark, Jack Burden." Carolyn said.

"Characters from literature," Bobby said. "Brutus from Caesar. He betrays Caesar and has him assassinated."

"So we're looking for someone close to Captain Deakins who betrayed him," Alex said.

"Willie Stark and Jack Burden are from All the King's Men," Carolyn said. "Jack Burden was the right-hand man to Willie Stark. Burden's the one who uncovers the deep dark secrets of Stark's enemies. Stark is the leader. Adair is Stark."

"Adair's still got deep ties with the department. Even as high as the Chief of Police himself," Mike said. "This is gonna be pretty deep."

"What did you guys find out of Denny Moran?" Carolyn asked.

"Not much," Bobby said. "Just that it goes far up. It's got Frank Adair and it goes up from there."

"We're starting to hit dead ends," Carolyn said. "Maybe we should talk to Greenfield."

Getting looks of slight fear, Carolyn said, "Come on, guys, if he's really in on it, we might be able to play one of your tricks, Goren. And if he's not in on it, he should feel he's duty-bound to investigate or pass it onto IAB."

"Carolyn's right," Alex said. "I'd be the last person to say I like the guy, but if he's in on it, we should find out. If we get to him, he might give up who the next man on the totem pole is."

"That's the game plan for tomorrow," Bobby said. "Maybe we can turn him without letting suspicion on him. Here's the plan…"

Outside the bar, two men sat and watched the four detectives drink their beer.

"Dude, these four sure are cozy with one another," one man said to the other.

"How long do we have to keep watchin' em, anyway?"

"Til they leave. Then we follow them to wherever they go. Then the gears of this operation start turnin'."

* * *

They wrapped up their plans, gathered their belongings and left the bar. They got into their respective cars and all headed towards Alex's apartment. Bobby and Alex drove down the block while Mike and Carolyn followed them in order to stay together.

"Car, I think someone's following us," Mike said. "I don't wanna be paranoid, but take a quick peek."

Carolyn turned around quickly and took a mental photograph of the car behind them. "It looks like the car from the other night."

"Call Bobby, tell him about the car following us," Mike said. "We should split up. If it's just the one car, they can't follow both of us."

Carolyn picked up her phone and dialed Bobby's number. "Bobby, someone's following us. Let's split up. We'll meet at Alex's apartment."

Carolyn hung up and looked at Mike. "Split up. We'll meet at Alex's place."

Mike made the next left while Alex went straight. Mike looked into the rearview mirror and saw that the car was following him and Carolyn.

"What do we do now?" Carolyn asked.

* * *

"We should double-back," Alex said. "Follow the guys who are following us, corner them and we'll be able to detain them for a bit."

Bobby nodded as Alex made a tight u-turn in the middle of a two-way street which luckily, wasn't busy tonight. She made a left turn where Mike had, and followed the path which Mike would've taken to get to her apartment. They quickly saw Mike and Carolyn's car being followed by a domestic sedan. Bobby took out his leather binder and opened it. He copied down the license plate number of the car.

Alex eased up on tailing the dark sedan. Bobby picked up his phone and called Carolyn back.

"Carolyn, we're tailing the guy tailing you. Tell Mike to down the next dead-end he can find. We'll corner them in," Bobby said.

"Great idea, Bobby," Carolyn said, hanging up.

Mike made a right-turn into a dead end and drove all the way down to the end, slowing down at the very end. The car behind him followed him in. The headlights of the sedan illuminated the inside of Mike and Carolyn's car. For several moments, no one moved.

"Get out of the car!" Alex yelled getting out of the SUV with her gun poised, approaching the sedan between Mike and Carolyn.

Bobby approached the other side of the car with his gun drawn. He quickly pulled open the door of the sedan and dragged the man sitting in the passenger seat out of the car and had him down on the ground.

Mike and Carolyn after hearing Bobby and Alex approach, got out of their vehicle and helped with their two suspects. In several minutes, both men had been searched and were on the ground, handcuffed by Mike and Bobby.

"You boys are under arrest," Alex said.

"And what you chargin' us with?" the taller man said.

"Suspicious loitering," Mike said, putting him into the back of the car, while Bobby put the other man into their car.

Alex looked at her watch. "We could bring them back to the squadroom. No one's there."

Bobby and his suspect sat in an interrogation room, while the other man was being interrogated by Carolyn in the other room.

"Let's start with your name," Carolyn said. "I think that's easy enough for you."

"Listen, bitch, you ain't gonna get anythin' outta me," he said.

"Listen, homeboy, you're gonna be locked up for the night if you don't," Carolyn said. "Start talking."

Meanwhile in the other interrogation room, the room was eerily silent. Goren sat at the table with his leather binder open while he put his thoughts down on paper. He patiently wrote on the looseleaf while the suspect sat across from him. Bobby didn't glance up or pay any attention to the man's stares and glances towards him.

Alex and Mike stood in the observation room watching their partners.

"Carolyn's not doin' too bad," Mike said. "She's got his name. I'm gonna run it through the database."

"Goren's wearing on this guy's patience," Alex said with a smile. "He does that a lot."

"I don't know whether or not I feel relieved about having these two in our custody," Mike said. "We can only keep them for so long before Greenfield shows up and we get our asses handed to us."

Mike left the observation room to join his partner. Alex continued watching Bobby. Every move he made was deliberate and graceful. Alex admired his fluid motions as he walked around the room attempting intimidate the suspect. Neither man in the interrogation room had spoken a single word. The only sounds made were the footsteps of Goren and the breathing of the suspect as his heart raced in his chest.

Goren broke the silence first. "Do you know why you're here, son?"

The man looked up at Goren. "I ain't nobody's son."

"Sorry," Bobby said. "You're in hot water. Now your partner is in with my colleague, and if you don't roll on him first, he's gonna roll on you."

"He wouldn't do that," he said. "We got very specific orders."

"From who?"

"Look _detective_, you can't play me like that," he said. "The people that we workin' for, it ain't somethin' ya easily give up. They give me things I need. What are ya offerin'?"

"You tell us what you know, we offer you and your friend protection," Bobby said.

"Protection ain't gon' cut it, man," he said. "These people are beyond protection of y'all."

"I got connections," Bobby said. "Federal witness protection."

"You just a cop," he said. "You ain't got no federal jurisdiction. This gets out, he and I are dead."

"I'm telling you. I can get you in," Bobby said. "But you need to tell me what you know so I can bring it to the feds. Let me give you time to think about it."

Bobby walked out of the room and into the observation room to join Alex in watching in.

"He knows a lot more than Sharon or Denny," Alex said. "Can you really get him into witness protection?"

"I think so," Bobby said. "I got a few more favors to call in. How's Carolyn and Mike doing with his partner?"

"They got his name. Mike's running it right now."

"Good," Bobby said. "We're finally getting somewhere."

Just then, Mike walked in. "Jeremy Stimson, 27. Three years ago, convicted of drug possession, but got off with probation. He named his friend as well. Lionel Graham, 28. Convicted of third degree sexual assault. He got a year in Riker's. Jeremy and him had the same probation officer."

"Let's get back in there," Bobby said, indicating that he and Alex should take on Lionel.

Walking into the interrogation room, Bobby and Alex took turns circling Lionel.

"Lionel," Alex said, "We just called your probation officer. Things are not looking up for you."

"Wait, how you know my name?"

"Your friend gave it up," Alex said. "You're going straight back to Riker's if you don't tell us something useful."

Lionel sighed. He was caught in between a rock and a hard place.

"Look, Graham and I had nothing to do with your Capt'n resignin'."

"Then what did you have to do with this?" Alex asked, "You tell us somethin', we'll tell you somethin'."

"We were just hired to watch you four."

"By who?" Alex asked.

Lionel was still silent. "That deal still on the table?"

Bobby nodded. "You tell us what we need to know, and you're in."

"Okay," Lionel said. "I don't want no one gettin' hurt."

Bobby and Alex anxiously awaited Lionel's answer. They glanced at one another in anticipation of something that could turn their entire case.

"Inspector Lawrence Henderson. He's the man who hired us."

* * *

TBC. 


End file.
